Introduction

Operation
Freshman was an operation mounted during the night of 19/20 November 1942,
using gliders and Royal Engineer commandos. The purpose of the raid was
to destroy a heavy water plant at Rjukan in Norway. The operations against
this heavy water plant formed the basis of the Hollywood film "The
Heroes of Telemark". The plan for the raid was to use gliders to
land commandos with the knowledge and equipment to destroy the heavy water
factory. They would then attempt to reach Sweden with the help of the
Norwegian Underground.

The
main sources for this report are the various documents held at the Public
Record Office. Those documents produced by the War Crimes Investigation
Branch, HQ Allied Land Forces Norway (ALFN) have proved useful: WO 331/16-18.
The war crimes trial of Generaloberst Nickolaus
von Falkenhorst (Commander of German Forces in Norway) produced by
the Judge Advocate Generals Office (JAGO) have also provided useful
information: WO 235/196B and WO 235/684. The execution of Freshman raid
members was the basis of several charges at Falkenhorsts trial.

Acknowledgments

A very big thank you is due to all the people, especially in Norway, who have contacted me about this section of the web site. In many instances, they have supplied (unprompted by me) photographs of the various areas of interest.

Attack
on the Plant

In
February 1943, the Norwegian Resistance participated in an attack on the
Heavy Water Plant at Rjukan. A memorial has since been errected to commemorare
this attack.

Memorial
for the February 1943 Raid on the Plant (Stratford family 2002)

Einar Skinnarland

AS an engineer
at the Vemork hydroelectric plant some 50 miles west of Oslo, Einar
Skinnarland provided a vital link in the struggle to frustrate
Germany's production of Plutonium to develop an atomic bomb during the
Second World War. The electrolytic process for the division of water
to obtain hydrogen for the manufacture of ammonia at Vemork produced,
simply as a by-product, small quantities of heavy water. This differed
from ordinary water only in that the hydrogen atom is heavier than normal,
but the heavy water was essential for Germany's production of
Plutonium.

In May 1940,
shortly after the German occupation of Norway, British Intelligence
learnt
that the Vemork plant had been ordered to increase
production
of heavy water to 3,0001b per year, a figure advanced to 10,0001b
in January 1942. Six weeks later, a group of young Norwegians planning
to join one of their units in Britain hijacked the coastal steamer
Galtesund
and sailed her to Aberdeen. Among them was Einar Skinnarland on
one month's annual holiday from the Vemork plant. The layout of the plant
was already known in Britain, thanks to information provided by Professor
Lief Tronstadt, a Norwegian scientist
who had
escaped before the occupation. But Skinnarland was able to provide
details of
the German guarding system and, even more important, was prepared
to return to Vemork to act as guide for a future sabotage operation.
After a comprehensive debriefing on the current situation at Vemork and
very
basic parachute training, he was dropped over the Hardanger
Vidda
mountains by an RAF aircraft on March 28,1942. This was 11 days
after he had reached Aberdeen and just in time for his return to work.

Because of the mountainous terrain
and swiftly changing weather conditions, Skinnarland's return was only
the second operation the RAF had been
able to accomplish on behalf of special forces in Norway at that stage
of the war. Moreover, the summer nights were too short to give adequate
cover, so no attempt could be made to capitalise on the intelligence
Skinnarland had provided until the autumn of 1942. He, meanwhile, befriended
the chief engineer of the plant, gleaned from him additional information
necessary for a coup de main operation and relayed this by radio to
the Special Operations Executive (SOE) in London.

The first
operation, in November 1942, ended in disaster. A four-man team of
the Norwegian
SOE, led by Lieutenant Jens Anton Poulsson, had
been dropped successfully in October and established contact with Skinnarland.
Their task was to select and prepare landing sites for two gliders carrying
British Royal Engineers and, based on latest information from
Skinnarland, guide them to the Vemork plant. Both gliders crashed
in bad weather and the survivors were captured and executed.

A second
operation, carried out by a six-man team of the Norwegian SOE parachuted
on to the Hardanger Vidda in February 1943, was completely
successful. The second team met Poulsson and his companions, who
had existed on the mountain throughout the winter, and carried out a
copybook
sabotage action that put the heavy water producing plant out of action
without the loss of a Norwegian life.

When the SOE teams returned
to Britain, one of them through Sweden, two members remained behind
to train and arm volunteers for the Norwegian
Home Army, as the resistance movement was known. One of those to remain,
Knut Haukelid, teamed up with Skinnarland in a mountain hut until the
spring thaw of 1943, when they moved to a farm on the lower slopes,
where they were better placed to gather information to relay back to
SOE headquarters
in London. In July they received an inquiry about reports that production
of heavy water at the Vemork plant had restarted. It was decided to attempt
to destroy the plant by a United States Army Air Force bombing raid.
This wrecked the factory but failed to destroy the heavy water plant,
which was protected by seven concrete floors above it.

Norwegian technicians
were able to convince the German authorities that the plant as a whole
was no longer viable but, on January 29,1944, London
advised Skinnarland that it was to be dismantled and shipped to Germany,
together with the Vemork stocks of heavy water.Haukelid and
he took great risks in entering local towns, where both were well known,
to gather information about the planned shipment.
Eventually, they discovered that it was to be conveyed in a Norwegian
ferryboat which
would have to traverse Lake Tinnsjo on its way to the open sea. Assisted
by others recruited locally, Haukelid placed charges on the keel of
the ferry, which blew up and sank in 1,000ft of water in Lake Tinnsjo
in
February 1944, unfortunately with the loss of several Norwegian lives.

Skinnarland continued to maintain radio contact between the local
elements of the Norwegian resistance and SOE headquarters in London
until the
end of the war in Europe, when the Norwegian Home Army took over
the emergency administration of their country.

After the
war, Skinnarland emigrated to Canada where he died on 5 December 2002,
aged 84 years.

Description
of Personnel

During the
investigation by the War Crimes Investigation Branch ALFN several bodies
were discovered. The bodies were buried hastily and showed signs of torture.
Also as the guilders crashed in bad weather, a request was sent from Major
Rawlings to the Judge Advocate Generals Office. This request to
the Judge Advocate Generals Office produced the letter from the
DJAG Office, BLFN. This letter was received by Major Rawlings on 3 September
1945.

SECRET

To:
Officer i/c War Crimes Investigation Branch A.L.F.N.

Ref:
ALFN/44/2/DJAG.

Date:
1 September 1945.

From:
Lieutenant-Colonel W.H. Bellis DJAG Office Ext: 647.

SUBJECT
- War Crimes - Operation FRESHMAN

Further
to my letter even reference dated 24 August 1945 I now enclose descriptions
of the Royal Engineers personnel who took part in this operation. These
descriptions I have today received from the Officer i/c Military Department
Judge Advocate General Office.

Copy:
Officer i/c Military Department.

Office
of the Judge Advocate General.

NOTE:
Statistics were those provided at the soldiers attestation.

NUMBER

RANK

NAME

HGT

WGT

CHEST

HAIR
/EYE

4385760

Lance-Sergeant

Healey,
F

58"

126

32

Brown

1871585

Lance-Sergeant

Knowles,
G

57"

130

35

Brown

2076750

Acting
Corporal

Thomas,
JGL

58"

152

33

Fair & Blue

1948916

Sapper

Williams,
GS

55"

105

18

Light
Brown

1869293

Sapper

Bailey,
EW

412"

81

31

1886725

Sapper

Grundy,
CH

58"

144

32

Brown & Blue

1922713

Sapper

Legate,
HJ

53"

118

33

Aubum & Blue

2068169

Sapper

Smallman,
L

55"

112

30

Fair & Blue

2000197

Driver

Pendlebury,
E

55"

123

35

Brown & Blue

2110314

Corporal

Cairncross,
JD

56"

147

33

Fair & Green

1906932

Sapper

Bonner,
F

510"

156

32

Brown

2110268

Sapper

Norman,
R

59"

164

37

Brown & Green

1884423

Driver

Simkins,
G

55"

127

35

Brown & Hazel

2110332

Sapper

Hunter,
JGV

55"

123

32

Fair & Blue

2073797

Sapper

Walsh,
JW

59"

147

33

Brown & Blue

2115238

Sapper

Faulkner,
TW

56"

133

34

Black & Blue

2114930

Sapper

Jacques,
W

56"

145

37

Fair & Blue

4537415

Lance-Corporal

Jackson,
WM

59"

141

35

Brown

2074196

Sapper

Bevan,
H

55"

129

37

Dark & Brown

2016305

Driver

Belfield,
JTV

510"

137

36

Fair & Blue

2010697

Sapper

Stephen,
JM

56"

133

34

Brown

2010213

Driver

Farrell,
PP

58"

148

37

Dark
Brown & Hazel

1923037

Lance-Corporal

Campbell,
A

56"

134

37

Brown

1892979

Sapper

Smith,
EJ

57"

127

34

Brown & Blue

1884418

Lance-Corporal

Bray,
FW

510"

147

36

Dark & Hazel

1900803

Sapper

Blackburn,
JF

59"

159

38

Brown & Blue

1872832

Lance-Corporal

Masters,
TL

57"

124

34

Fair & Blue

1875800

Sapper

White,
TW

57"

128

35

Dark
Brown & Blue

All
are personnel of either 261 Airborne Squadron RE or 9 Airborne Squadron
RE.

In
addition to these Royal Engineers, there were two RE officers: Lieutenants
Alex Charles Allen and David Alexander Methven GM.

While
serving with 226 Field Company Royal Engineers, 2nd Lieutenant Methven
was awarded the George Medal. This George Medal
was awarded for his role in Mine Disposal work at Mablethorpe Beach (Lincolnshire)
on 25 December 1941, and at Skegness Beach (Lincolnshire) on 5 April 1942.
The award of his George Medal was published
in the London Gazette on 10 July 1942 (page 3039).

Lieutenant
Methven was not even in the original party, but three days before the
operation 2nd Lieutenant Mike Green was injured in a training accident.
The 20-year-old Lieutenant Methven took 2nd Lieutenant Green's place.

2nd
Lieutenant Green later went on to a distinguished war record, although
the experience of his failure to be part of Operation Freshman was very
traumatic. Especially so, when the fate of the soldiers was ultimately
discovered after the war's end.

Fate
of Freshman Personnel

Following
receipt of the identification details the investigation continued into
the reports of British prisoners being executed. The following text was
extracted from a letter sent by Lieutenant-Colonel W.H. Bellis to the
Military Deputy in the Judge Advocate Generals Office (based in
London) dated 28 November 1945. The letter outlines the fate of five of
the Operation Freshman Personnel:

Evans
together with Sergeant Don Craig (Royal Engineers), Quartermaster Leif
Larsen (Royal Norwegian Navy), Telegraphist Roald Strand (Royal Norwegian
Navy) & Able Seaman William Tebb (Royal Navy) landed ashore and prepared
to make their way to neutral Sweden. During a short gun battle near the
Swedish border, Able Seaman Evans was badly wounded in the stomach. The
others thinking that he was dead eventually made their way into Sweden.
For their contribution to this operation, Quartermaster Larsen received
the CGM to add to his DSM.
Evans, despite his serious wounds and period in hospital, survived.

Able
Seaman Evans was then taken to Grini Concentration Camp (located 30 miles
outside Oslo), where he joined Lance Corporal Jackson and Sappers Bonner,
Blackburn, Walsh and White. On 18 January 1943, they were marched into
Trandum Forest and executed by firing squad. Initially, their bodies were
buried in a mass grave. After the war's end, their remains were exhumed
and reburied in Oslo Western Military Cemetery,
Vestre Gravland.

This
case relates to the killing of 5 of the 9 British survivors from the glider
crash at Lysefjord, Norway, on the night of 19/20 November 1942; the other
4 being put to death in circumstances outlined in my minute to you reference
BLFN/44/2/S/T/DJAG dated 15 November 1945 (click here
to read about the brutal murder of these 4 soldiers).

Briefly
the further facts indicated by the documents now submitted appear to be
as follows:

After
these survivors had been captured and imprisoned at Stavanger as described
in that minute there was an exchange of communications between Wilkens,
the head of Stavanger Gestapo, and Fehlis, head of the Oslo Gestapo, who
in turn communicated with Muller, in charge of the Amtschef office in
Berlin. Following this, orders were given by Fehlis that 5 of the 9 survivors
were to be dressed in civilian clothes and were to be sent to Grini Concentration
Camp.

Upon
arrival in Grini the 5 survivors were dressed in blue pullovers and trousers.

They
remained there until 19 January 1943 when they were taken out to Trandum
and executed on the orders, so it would appear, of Fehlis given in the
presence of Reinhardt, the orders being in turn based on directions from
Muller that the Hitler (Commando) order was to be carried out.